For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you, it is the gift of God
(Ephesians 2:8)

June 27, 2008

Hell and Grace

One of the essential truths that must be understood by all grace believers, is hell. Hell is the place of punishment for all who suffer the righteous judgment of God without forgiveness of their sins. Grace is God's free and undeserved favor toward some, sparing them from His wrath in hell by setting forward Jesus Christ as a propitiation instead. Without hell, grace would not be amazing, it would not even be necessary. But grace is necessary, because hell is real.

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28 ESV).

"For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority." (2 Peter 2:4-10 ESV).

Understanding hell is important, because it has to do with the righteous judgment of God, which is what makes salvation necessary. So it had significant meaning when Paul wrote: "among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved..." (Ephesians 2:3-5). Grace is amazing, because the justice of God is terrible. For all who have truly repented and have cast themselves completely on the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, the judgment and wrath they deserved has already been poured out upon the Lord on the cross.

"But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." (Hebrews 9:26-28 ESV).

May our praise of God be a combination of both healthy fear and joy with thankfulness. And let all saints who fear Him continually praise the Lord for His steadfast love and grace!

It seems to me that the modern church as a whole has watered downt he concept of Hell to the degree that people don't think it's all that important, or that much to fear. It really does need to be a factor in preaching the gospel or people will not have a sufficient understanding of it. Of course, it should not be the motivation to salvation; there are churches that press souls into committing to Christ out of fear -- but speaking about Hell should not be something avoided.

Great job, keep up the good work! Hopefully I'll see you on my blog sometime.Phylicia

Thanks to all who commented! I appreciate what you have to say. I've been away with family lately, so I was not able to interact here about this post until now.

I've actually noticed that young people are showing more of an interest in hell when I'm witnessing to them. Perhaps it is because the church has watered it down? I don't know. But I was asked by some who were sincerely interested to teach more about it.

Thanks again for the comments, feel free to continue to share your thoughts on this subject :)

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I'm an artist, designer, blog writer and Spanish-English translator, who enjoys theology and biblical studies.
Besides drawing and painting in Photoshop, I've acquired a taste for languages through interaction with people of all kinds of backgrounds.

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Do you have the answer?

A quote I would like to remember

Verse 23 [Philippians 1:23] shows why dying is gain for Paul: "My desire is to depart [that is, to die] and be with Christ, for that is far better." That is what death does: It takes us into more intimacy with Christ, and that, Paul says, is gain. And when you experience death this way, Paul says, you exalt Christ. Experiencing Christ as gain in your dying magnifies Christ. It is "far better" than living here.Really? Better than all the friends at school? Better than falling in love? Better than hugging your children? Better than professional success? Better than retirement and grandchildren? Yes. A thousand times better.-From: Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper, Pg. 67, How is Dying Gain?, (Group study edition, 2007)

Free Will

Free Will Funnies

(Okay, this may only be funny to you if you are not an Arminian... If you don't know what an Arminian is, then move on to something more serious :)

Free Will Funnies, Episode One:

"Gotta' have my Free Wills."

One of America's favorite cereals is now more appealing than ever. Kellog's Free Wills have added marshmallow orcas into the bowl. Now you can enjoy your Free Wills every morning with sweet little orcas to remind you of what makes you feel so great each day... "Gotta' have my Free wills!"

Adam loves his Free Wills every morning. "Especially on days when I have a track meet or practice," he said. "I like to eat Free Wills before running. I think it helps me try my best. I gotta' have my Free Wills," he added as he proudly wiped the sweat from his brow just before starting off again.

Along with a healthy diet and a lot of activity, Free Wills will help you feel good and have the ability to choose what you want out of life.

"Gotta' have my Free Wills. They help me start my day out right," said Eva, as she carried her briefcase to the office. "I feel like I can choose what I want to get out of my life and I can make good decisions. I don't need to feel down and worry about what is going to happen next, because Free Wills provide me with a good source of energy, so I can decide to make a change for the better."

What will you decide to do today?

Choose Free Wills, now with marshmallow orcas included :)

"So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy." (Romans 9:16 NASB).